


Usopp's Fables

by CyberWolf_1013



Category: One Piece
Genre: Adorable Monkey D. Luffy, Alternate Universe, Animals, Children's Stories, Classics, Cute, Fables - Freeform, Gen, Inspired by..., Luffy Being Luffy, Minor Monkey D. Luffy/Nami, Moral Lessons, Nakama, Nakamaship, One Piece Universe, One Shot, One Shot Collection, Out of Character, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Roronoa Zoro Being an Asshole, Roronoa Zoro and Vinsmoke Sanji Bickering, Sanji Is Not A Vinsmoke, This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:20:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 22,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25757263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyberWolf_1013/pseuds/CyberWolf_1013
Summary: I'm taking the old fables from Aesop and going to be inserting the Strawhat crew into the midst of them. He is probably best known for the story of the Tortoise and the Hare (which I will include here also). But also many, many more. There will be OOC and AU and Strawhats as animals, of course.
Relationships: Monkey D. Luffy & Nami, Nami & Vinsmoke Sanji, Roronoa Zoro & Tashigi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	1. The Stag and the Hunter

**Author's Note:**

> I tried to stay as close to the original fable as I could, with a little expanding here and there, but there were some I just couldn't help but flesh out a bit more. Sorry if that should offend anyone. Also I tried to match the Strawhat crew up with animals that would fit their personalities (ie: Nami as fox or Zoro as a wolf) this comes into play in this chapter. Even though Chopper is a deer, Sanji seemed to fit into this spot more. As for the moral of the story I'll include it at the end of each chapter, and if you happen to disagree with the moral, you'll have to find a time machine to take you back to ancient Greece to complain to the original author.

All was peaceful in the forest on this warm, lazy, summer day. The birds were singing happily in the treetops that swayed with the gentle breeze and all the forest animals were out and about, enjoying the afternoon. The beautiful butterflies danced along the meadows. The cheerful little rabbits played amongst the summer grasses. And a young stag made his way through the woods in a show of great importance.

He tossed his antlers about in an exaggerated fashion, showing all the animals how noble he thought he was. The stag was on his way to the pond where all the animals gathered on occasion to meet with each other and drink. On his way there an old badger stuck his white and black head out of his hole in the ground.

"Hey, you, young buck. Where are you headed looking so important today?" The black and white badger was known very well through this part of the forest. His name was Brook and even though he was old and couldn't keep up with some of the younger animals he had a reputation for being a help to whoever needed it. However, the deer did not take this into consideration as he pranced past the hole Brook lived in.

The brown furred stag only tossed his head higher. He didn't bother looking back to the old hole digger. "My name's Sanji, not 'buck'. I'll have you know, old Badger, I'm important every day for I have something that no one else in the forest has." He soon left the badger behind and continued on his way. "That is very true. I do have something that no one else in the forest has. After all, the badger does not have a pair of such fine antlers. That is what makes me greater."

Soon two young foxes bounded in the middle of the path. Sanji jumped back, startled at the sudden appearance of the pair. One was a light orangey-red color and the other had very deep red almost black fur. Despite the fact that foxes ate meat these two and the stag were friends.

"Oh, hello, Sanji. Sorry if we scared you. We were just coming back from a hunt." Nami, the orangey-red vixen, said with a polite smile.

"Yeah, it was a good hunt." The dark furred fox added to the conversation with a lick of his chops. Luffy grinned a foxy grin in Nami's direction. "Though Nami did most of the hunting."

Sanji chuckled nervously at the two carnivores though he knew he didn't have to worry about being on their menu. "No one I know, I hope."

The vixen let a sly smile slide onto her face as she looked from Luffy to Sanji. "Not unless you normally associate with voles and mice." The deep red fox chuckled at Nami's words.

"Come on, Nami. I wanna get back to the den." Luffy said as he rubbed his shoulder against his vixen's. It would've been cute- had he not spoken in an annoyingly whiney tone.

Nami rolled her eyes but allowed Luffy to guide her out of the deer's path and more toward the edge of the trees again. Before she was gone for good, however, the vixen stuck her head out of the underbrush and spoke once more to their friend. "By the way, Sanji. I wanted to tell you, if you're going to the pond, be careful. I heard from Robin that a hunter was spotted in the forest earlier. And stop nipping at me, Luffy!" Nami turned sharply and disappeared back into the bushes followed by the sound of a young male fox yelping in pain.

The sound of the fox's tussle faded away and Sanji shook his head in bewilderment. He never could figure out how those two became mates. "So, a hunter in the forest? Well, I don't have to worry about him, not like the foxes. After all, I have something that no one else in the forest has. The fox does not have a pair of marvelous antlers like these. That is what makes me greater."

The young buck continued on his way to the pond without a glance back. After a short while he came upon an old birch tree, he knew the pond wasn't much farther. Sanji bent down to nibble some grass at the base of the tree since he hadn't eaten for a while now thanks to all the interruptions.

Suddenly a noise from above caused the brown stag to look upwards into the tree limbs. He frowned in annoyance. "Yo, stick legs." Sanji knew this creature, as much as he didn't want to. On the lowest branch of the birch tree sat a fuzzy tailed squirrel. There was a mocking smirk forming around his buck teeth.

Zoro, otherwise known as the most annoying animal of the forest, was one creature the stag couldn't stand. The bushy-tailed gray squirrel lounged lazily atop his low hanging branch. "What do you want, tree jumper?" Sanji asked, already irritated at the smaller animal.

"Nothing at all. I happen to know you're headed for the pond but I wouldn't if I were you." Zoro said, not bothering to reply to the deer's name calling.

"Why not, oh wise one?" Sanji asked sarcastically.

The gray squirrel scoffed, his tail flicking back and forth. "A hunter is headed this way. If you had any brains in that horned head of yours, you'd lay low, but then again- I guess you don't."

"They're antlers, not horns." The stag said holding his head that much higher. "You may fear the man, the foxes may fear the man, and even the old badger fears the man. I don't fear him because I have something that no one else in the forest has."

"Yep, you sure do." Zoro interrupted. He jumped down from his branch to land agilely on the stag's antlers then to his back and finally shimmied down his long legs. "No one in the forest has such long and skinny legs that look like they're walking on sticks from the trees."

Sanji snorted and stamped his hoof where the little squirrel was mere seconds ago. He was too late. The little animal had scampered off. The young buck followed the bushy-tailed creature's laughter into the treetops where it soon faded away. Snorting indignantly again the brown furred deer shook his head. His proud antlers scraped the bottom of the leaves of the branch Zoro was resting on earlier. The young stag passed by the old birch tree and within minutes was in sight of the pond.

The buck looked around and smiled. He was the only one there. "It seems everyone else has heard the news of the hunter as well. I guess that leaves me the only one who isn't afraid." Still, he wasn't stupid. Sanji slowly stepped out of the cover of the woods, gingerly placing one hoof in front of the other, but soon he became bolder. Without a smell of any humans around the stag walked out of the tree-line confidently and towards the water.

After taking a long drink from the cool water Sanji looked down at his rippling reflection. He truly was a creature with a beautiful appearance. He didn't have one scar to disturb his smooth brown fur. He was known to be the fastest deer in the forest. No one could outrun him. And, of course, his pride was his magnificent antlers that sat grandly on his head. All of a sudden the words of the fuzzy tree rat, Zoro, came back to him. "No one in the forest has such long and skinny legs that look like they're walking on sticks from the trees." Sanji glanced down at his spindly legs reflected in the water. It was a shame that such a noble creature like himself had to be carried around on these little twig legs. Sanji was so engrossed in staring at his reflection that he didn't hear nor smell the human sneaking up on the tree-line nearby.

Suddenly, the sound of a twig snapping made Sanji look up on full alert. The stag turned his head to look behind him and that's when he caught sight of the hunter through the limbs. The human raised his gun but in a flash the young deer had fled, his nimble legs able to carry him faster and farther than any human hunter could accomplish.

Sanji dodged tree trunks and leapt over roots and brambles in his escape from the pond's watery bank. He hadn't gone far when the agile runner glanced behind him to see if he were being pursued. This is when it went wrong. Not paying attention to where he was going, Sanji ran right into some low hanging limbs that tangled into his antlers, as the human drew nearer the young stag grew more desperate. He pulled this way and that but the limbs refused to give up their hold. Looking around again Sanji felt his heart drop at the sight of the hunter come around the tree he was caught in.

"Well, it's my lucky day." The man said more to himself than Sanji. "Your legs carried you so fast you would surely have gotten away and if not for your beautiful antlers you would not have been caught."

=0=0=

Moral- We often despise what is most useful to us.


	2. The Ant and the Robin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing much to say on this one. The original title is 'The Ant and the Dove'. You can probably guess who the robin is.

It was hot. The summer day was Ant a one of the hottest the forest had seen this season. The heat was what drove most creatures underground, to shelter in their holes or dens or even just under the shade of the trees. The air was somewhat cooler in the underbrush of the thick forest because of the overhanging leaves blocking out the harsh sun. It was even too hot for the mid-summer flowers and they were starting to droop in the unwavering heat. Most animals would wait for the cooler evening before making their way outside or they had come out earlier in the morning when the early dew was still stuck to the ground, however, one little ant was steadily crawling along the dirt making his way over sticks and leaves heading for the small stream near his tiny hole.

The itty bitty insect, thankfully, was shaded from the hot sunlight by the heavy overgrowth of brush and grasses on his walk. He didn't meet many animals on his way to the stream as it was in the middle of the day, the hottest part of the day, in fact.

"Hey, little insect bro, what are you doing out here?" A dark greenish-blue stag beetle called out. He was sitting in the shade of a pretty indigo flower.

The ant turned to his friend and grinned back, though it was slightly dulled by the heat. "I'm going to the stream, Franky. You wanna come with me?"

The bigger beetle laughed heartily. "No way, it's too super hot to go anywhere. Why don't you wait for the evening, that's when me and Ussop-bro are going, though caterpillars are really slow."

Chopper, the little ant, seemed to think about this for a second but shook his head. "No thanks, I don't like the crowds in the evening. It's so easy for a tiny little bug like me to be stepped on."

Franky shrugged and waved as his friend started toward the stream again. "See ya later then." He called as Chopper disappeared behind some fallen leaves. A little while later he arrived at his destination, the small stream that ran through the forest. The stream didn't flow very quickly… for bigger animals, but for the small little insects like Chopper, it was dangerous getting close to the water.

"If you're going on the bank, you'd best be careful." Someone said from the air, above where young Chopper was standing near the bank. Startled the tiny ant jumped in surprise and looked up sharply, after looking left and right, in a panic. There on a low hanging branch sat a small robin, she had obviously come down to get a drink also.

"Oh, hey there, didn't see you hovering above me like that." Chopper said nervously, birds and insects didn't really get along, usually. He slowly started inching away toward some nearby brush. Taking one slow step at a time.

The robin tilted her head slightly to see him better and Chopper got the impression she was amused by his nervous tone. "Sorry to have startled you, little one. My name is Robin and I was merely warning you to watch out near the bank of the stream, it is rather slippery near the water."

Chopper paused in his retreat to look up at the bird curiously. "A robin named Robin?" The little ant shrugged to himself, at least it fit, and then he looked back up at the beautiful bird. "Why are you giving me a warning? Don't you want to eat me?"

The robin shrugged her wings and shifted on her branch. "Not at the present moment."

"Huh, so you'd want to eat me later?" Chopper's voice squeaked in his panic, he stepped further back in fear, but unknown to the small insect he had already backed up to the steep part of the bank and all that was below him was a muddy incline and water. One more fearful backwards move and young Chopper began the tumble down the slippery slope of the bank of the stream. Head over heels he fell until he landed with the smallest of plops into the smooth flowing stream.

"Ahh, help!" The little ant yelled as he struggled to keep his head above the water. "I can't swim, someone help!" Chopper frantically tried to make it to shore but it proved difficult in the quick stream. There were no limbs or leaves to grab onto either.

Robin watched the little ant's fight for survival for a moment before she glided to a lower branch hanging over the water. The pretty bird plucked a leaf from its holding and then let it fall from her beak into the swiftly flowing current so that it would land next to the little bug.

The leaf landed softly in the stream and floated alongside Chopper, he gratefully clutched onto the lifesaver, and climbed out of the cool water. The large green leaf eventually got close enough to the shoreline where it got caught on a twig and the small, wet, bug could finally climb off his impromptu life raft. Coughing and sputtering he turned to make his way back to where the robin was, to thank her.

A few minutes later he arrived at the tree where the very kind bird still sat on her branch. Chopper was about to call out to her but suddenly a huge foot came down next to him, the foot was human. There weren't many humans that traveled this deep in the forest so Chopper was surprised to see one. The man was obviously trying to not make any noise as he snuck up on the tree where Robin was, in his hands he held a bird catching net, and suddenly Chopper got the idea of what the human wanted.

It was then the little ant decided to repay his debt.

He saw the man bring the net up slowly, so as not to draw Robin's attention. Hastily climbing up the man's shoe, luckily it wasn't a boot, Chopper found his way to the human's ankle. There on the exposed flesh, he bit down hard. The human man let out a yelp immediately and reached down to swat at the little ant. The noise instantly alerted Robin and she took flight. Luckily for Chopper he was only brushed aside and not squashed, the man swore and glared at the empty branch where the small bird used to be.

Chopper, meanwhile, smiled from his upside down position. He had been thrown into a flowery area and was safe and sound on the petals of a dandelion as he watched the robin named Robin fly off into summer sky.

=0=0=

Moral- One good turn deserves another.


	3. The Swordsman and the River

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The original title is 'Mercury and the Woodman' This is one of the more well-known stories of Aesop so don't be surprised if this seems familiar somehow. There are quite a few interpretations of it out and about.

It was early morning, just outside a large village. The morning mist was still creeping along the ground and through the trees of the forest. The birds were just waking and beginning to sing their song to greet the sun as it rose on the horizon. Walking along a quiet path running along a riverbank was a man with short green hair, a permanent scowl, and a white sheathed sword at his side.

Zoro was a warrior, a swordsman to be exact, and he traveled around looking for strong opponents to beat. This being his chosen life, he was never stopped in one place too long. Except for now.

The green haired swordsman had been staying in the nearby village for nearly two months now and only one person was keeping him from leaving. A certain greedy, bossy, sneaky, orange haired woman- if you wanted to get specific. She had hooked him into a card game his first night in town, cleaned him out, and put him in debt before he knew what was happening. Ever since then he had been trying to pay his debt off because he never liked owing people.

Growling in remembrance of everything he had tried to do to pay his debt Zoro ran a frustrated hand through his short-cropped hair. The problem was, a traveling swordsman wasn't exactly a high paying job- or a paying job at all- up until now he had relied on little bounty hunting jobs if he needed money.

This brings us full circle to where the swordsman is right now.

"Geez, I can't believe that money-hungry witch." He grumbled to himself. "All that work she made me do on that dumb farm could've paid for five of my gambling debts. Then I had to open my big mouth and say I also collect bounties. Stupid…" Zoro slapped a hand over his face as he complained loudly to himself.

He yawned. "I could be still sleeping now, but no, she has to come barging into my room before dawn and waking me up. Well, I suppose if I do turn in this bounty I'll have enough money then to pay my debt and have some left over."

The door to the room of the Inn where he had been living for the last two months burst open, not that it bothered the snoozing warrior. He remained happily asleep. However, that didn't sit well with his early morning visitor. The woman who ran the farm outside of town stormed over to the man who had been a thorn in her side for the last two months.

"Hey, you lazy moss headed lump, wake up already!" Nami punched the swordsman in the head, sending him crashing to the ground, and effectively waking him up. 

"Geez, what are you doing, woman? There has to be a better way for you to wake a person up in the morning." Zoro growled threateningly as he rubbed the huge bump on his head. "It's not even light out yet." He scowled up at the orange haired woman who had taken it upon herself to be his personal wake up call.

She smirked at him with her hands on her hips. "Well, you know what they say. Another day, another chance at you actually paying me back." Zoro wasn't sure if that was exactly what they said but decided against telling her that. Nami bent down and grabbed his ear and pulled him up to his feet. "Now get out there and see if you can't bring back some good money today. I'm tired of you hanging around my sister's Inn and scaring the customers away."

Ussop had told him of the bandit who hung around this part of the forest and was worth quite a bit, it was too tempting an offer for Zoro to pass up. So now here he was walking around the woods in the early morning and hunting for this guy. By this point, the swordsman was wondering if it was another of Ussop's lies, and if it were a lie he would have certain words for the long nosed man when he returned to the village.

Zoro paused in the middle of the path and scratched his head. "Alright, if I were a petty, road bandit, where would I be?" He asked himself and turned on the spot hoping his target would somehow appear.

"Did I hear you say something about my nose?" A nasty voice yelled in irritation.

It came from the air above the swordsman, so he looked up. At first glance Zoro thought it was just some lost clown from a traveling circus, complete with big red nose, but on a closer second look the angry clown looked a lot like the description Ussop gave him.

"Hey, your name Buggsy?" Zoro asked in disinterest.

"The name is Buggy, you half-wit!" The clown screeched and jumped down from the tree branch. "I am the great bandit who rules these woods."

Zoro looked around at the thick trees surrounding them and then quirked his lips up in a smirk. "Yeah, I'm sure the flowers and deer put up quite the fight when you took over, Big Nose."

"Why you…" Buggy muttered under his breath. He pulled out two daggers from his belt and glared darkly at Zoro. "You're after my bounty, I take it. Well, I'll wish you luck because you'll need all of it you can get, swordsman." With that the clown bandit charged.

Chuckling and thinking this would be an easy win, Zoro dashed forward as well, his sword drawn and ready for battle.

The two opponents clashed against each other in the middle of the path and their momentum pushed them forward a few more feet. Buggy spun on his heel ready for another go. His coat was slashed open but his wound was only slight. On the other side Zoro also twisted around, however, he was too close to the riverside and his foot slipped on the mud.

Losing his balance Zoro slid on the river bank and in the process of regaining control of his footing he lost hold of his only sword. Looking around frantically the green haired swordsman saw the white handled blade hit the water and swiftly sink below the surface. The river was fast and rough and he knew if he didn't act fast his weapon would be lost forever. Totally forgetting about the battle he was currently in Zoro leapt the rest of the way down the muddy bank and dove head first into the water.

Buggy watched in surprise as the other man went headlong into the cold river after what he saw as a dull, old, blade. "Ah, yes, I am so great that my opponents choose to run away rather than fight me." The clown cackled and headed back to his hideout to celebrate his victory.

A minute later the river water surged upwards and out of it formed a large hand. The watery hand opened and dumped the dripping wet swordsman back on dry land. He didn't have his prized sword though. Coughing and sputtering Zoro watched in shock as the hand disappeared back into the river. "Wha… cough…what the heck was that?"

In answer to his question the water began to surge and form something again, only this time it was just about Zoro's size, and it was human shaped. When the waters calmed, there in front of the swordsman was the watery figure of a young man. He wasn't muscular or intimidating at all and Zoro thought that maybe he had hit his head when he dove into the water.

"Who…what…are you?" Zoro asked, still in some shock at the sudden appearance of the figure.

"Heya, name's Luffy. I'm the river god." The young river god waved happily. He seemed to forget that gods didn't just appear out of the water every day so it might be a bit of a shock to a human. "I was just wondering why you were jumping into the water. Humans don't tend to do that, ya know." He stared picking his nose and Zoro had to admit seeing a water being do that was really weird. It turned even stranger when the river god actually flicked a water booger off the tip of his finger.

Standing up and now knowing that he had definitely hit his head really hard Zoro decided to play along with this tripped out dream. "I wasn't just jumping in for the fun of it." The green haired man said in an irritated growl. "I was chasing after my sword. I slipped on the river bank and dropped it into the water. A swordsman needs his sword."

Luffy placed his hand to his chin and furrowed his brows as if he were in deep thought. "That sure sucks for you. This part of the river flows really fast, your sword is probably long gone by now."

Zoro scowled at him, already knowing this, and not mentioning that he could have caught up to his sword if not for the god's interference. Suddenly the water figure perked up and snapped his fingers with a wide smile on his watery face.

"Ah, I got it! I'm the river god, right? I'll just bring your sword back." Luffy smiled happily at his grand idea. Zoro, however, questioned why it took the young being five minutes to remember that he was a god.

Luffy reached a hand down into the river and looked to be searching for something under his feet. A few moments later he pulled his hand up with a sword in a red sheath. Despite being under water for who knew how long it looked to still be in good condition. Zoro's eyes widened, any sword fighter worth anything knew this sword.

Shusui was a legendary sword that had been lost ages ago. It had once belonged to a noble warrior and would be a prized possession in his hands.

"Here ya go. Is this sword yours?" Luffy asked, presenting the sheathed blade to the swordsman on the river bank.

"No. This isn't my sword." Zoro told him and shook his head.

Luffy pouted and dropped the sword back into the water. Zoro watched the red of the sheath disappear before his gaze lifted to see Luffy again searching the depths of the river with his watery hands.

After a minute or so the young river god smiled and pulled his hands out of the water once more. In them was a black sheathed sword. Luffy pulled the sword out of its protective cover a bit to let Zoro see that the metal still looked like new even though it had been stuck under water until then.

Zoro couldn't help the shocked look that came over his face at the sight of another legendary sword. This one was called Sandai Kitetsu. Anyone with any knowledge of swords would give their left foot to be able to claim this blade. Many great fighters had held this sword in the past and it too had been lost ages ago.

"Okay, what about this one? This has gotta be it." Luffy grinned and held out the famous sword for Zoro to take.

Hesitating for only a brief second the green haired swordsman again shook his head. "No. This isn't my sword."

Slowly pulling it back, Luffy frowned, and looked down at the weapon in his hands like he didn't know the reason Zoro refused it. Shrugging, Luffy let the sword drop, and it sank beneath the waters again.

Once more Luffy reached deep into the waters of the river, searching. And searching. Until Zoro was just about out of patience. Then finally the young water being pulled his hands up for the third time. In his watery grip was a white sheathed blade, the Wado Ichimoji. Luffy grinned hopefully. "Then is this one your sword?" He held out the white covered blade.

Zoro grinned. "Yes. This is my sword. Thank you for retrieving it."

"Shishishi. No problem." Luffy laughed and handed Wado to its rightful owner.

After retying the sword to his waist again Zoro turned to go, but before he could take a step away. Luffy called out to him. "Yo, I have something else for you." Zoro turned around to again face the weird river god and barely caught hold of two swords as they were tossed in his direction.

In his hands were Shusui and Sandai Kitetsu.

Zoro gaped down at the two legendary swords and then shifted his eyes upwards to the snickering river being in front of him. "What is this?" He asked suspiciously.

"I like you. I tried to give you those two on purpose but you didn't fall for my trick. Shishi. I'm giving those to you as a reward. Every other traveler fell for my trick and lied to get their hands on those swords but you told the truth. You're a good guy." Luffy explained with a wide grin. "Besides you look like you can handle three swords pretty easy."

With that Luffy gave a wave and the river water surged up around him. When everything settled, he was gone, and the only way Zoro knew it wasn't a dream was the fact that he had three swords in his possession. Zoro tied his two new blades to his waist alongside his white sword and climbed back up the river bank. He grinned evilly when he saw Buggy's tracks were still fresh in the dirt. He was going to hunt down that annoying clown and cut off that big red nose of his.

=0=0=

Moral- Honesty is the best policy


	4. The Thief and the Innkeeper

Nami yawned and stretched as she came downstairs in the current inn she was staying at. It was a simple little setup. The upstairs was where the rooms were located and the downstairs was made up of the bar and common gathering place for the village. As soon as the orange haired woman reached the bottom floor the sun's rays were there to greet her through the opened curtains. The owner of the inn was already setting up for the day. He was moving around the small round tables scattered about the room and arranging the chairs.

She was a thief and couldn't stay in one place for too long so she opted for renting a room at one inn or another until her welcome was worn out. Nami had only come upon this small village three days ago but wasted no time in scoping out the town for an easy con job or quick money maker. However, after three days of waiting for an opportunity to present itself, she was about to give it up as a bad job and move on. The town was too quiet and wholesome for her tastes. Nami really hated passing up any village with nothing to show for her time but staying here any longer would be useless.

The orange haired young thief sighed and moved over to the bar. She took a seat and the thin, tanned, long-nosed man who was both owner and bartender walked behind the bar to get her some breakfast.

"Good morning, Nami." The long nosed man enthusiastically greeted his only customer this week.

Nami groaned at the chipper tone in the man's voice. "Yeah, morning, Ussop." She was not a morning person.

Giving a once over of the tan skinned man she had to admit Ussop, who was about her age, was extremely friendly and trusting. It was something she was extremely grateful for in people, it made them easy targets. The man in front of her, for example, easily accepted the fact that she would only pay him for the room when she was ready to leave. He didn't even know her for an hour and he hadn't even stopped to consider her a sleep and run, as it were.

Ussop handed over a plate of nearly burnt toast and runny scrambled eggs. Unfortunately it was what passed as the morning meal around the place. Nami grimaced as the plate slid in front of her. She was almost sorry she left that perverted, curly brow, cook back at the last inn.

"Oh yeah." Ussop suddenly snapped his fingers as Nami picked some of the bunt edges off her toast. "While you were gone yesterday I was asking around the village and that friend of yours hasn't been seen around here yet."

Nami blinked up at the long nosed man and then suddenly remembered the reason she had given that first day as to why she was hanging around the village. Her 'friend' was supposed to meet her here after he took care of some other business in another town. "Oh yeah, um…" she paused while trying to think of the name she had given. "Luffy is probably held up by the spring storms we've been having lately. He should be arriving here any time now though."

Her fork paused over the lump of yellow that was obviously pretending to be eggs when she finally noticed something new about the young tavern owner. Her brown eyes scanned Ussop's form as she tried to recall what he looked like yesterday and figure out what was different.

Was it a new haircut? Nah.

A new pocket watch? Nope.

Then it hit her and she felt like an idiot. Ussop was wearing a brand spanking new jacket. If her judgment was any indicator, and it usually was, it was very expensive too.

Nami's nose for money quickly picked up on the scent of a good bit of easy money, if she could find a way to get that thing away from him. In just a few seconds she had run through the numbers in her head and they were very enticing. All this had gone through her mind in only a glance and almost just as quickly she was thinking of ways to get the coat off of Ussop.

She had to think of a trick. Not even Ussop would probably trust enough to just hand over an expensive brand new jacket to a complete stranger and let them leave his sight. She was trying to think but a dog constantly barking outside was driving her nuts. Then suddenly she grinned slyly.

Pushing away her plate Nami let Ussop take it back to the kitchen before implementing her plan. The long nosed young man returned to the bar and came to sit beside his orange haired guest who had turned her back to the counter. Before Ussop could say a word to start a conversation Nami let out a big yawn, as if she were still tired or bored. At the end of her yawn she mixed in a loud wolf howl.

As expected her current company jumped in shock and then stared at her in confusion. "Wha… what was that?" Ussop stammered. His eyes were wide in fear even though he wasn't sure why he was afraid yet. But he knew people didn't go around howling like a wild animal for no reason. "Why'd you do that?"

Nami scratched the back of her head and grinned sheepishly. "Well, I didn't want you to find out, but I guess it can't be helped. Some old witch put a curse on me a few towns back."

Ussop's eyes went wider, if that was still even possible, and he gaped wordlessly at the young woman. "No way. A curse, really? But, you look and sound normal. What happens with this curse?" He asked in a stunned kind of awe. He was still scared but now his curiosity was getting the better of him.

Trying not to smile as Ussop fell for her bait, Nami nodded. "Yeah, I don't know why that wrinkly old woman cursed me in the first place, but it really is a pain. Every time I start yawning for no reason like this it always ends up in a howl." This time she did let a small smirk slip onto her lips when she saw Ussop shiver in his seat. "I've torn up so many of my clothes since it happened because when I yawn for the third time in a row I actually turn into a man eating wolf." At the end of her explanation Nami once more let out a large yawn and at the end howled like the first time.

Now Ussop was visibly shaking. His whole body, from his feet up to his curly hair, was shivering in fear. "A-A-A man eating wolf?" He squeaked. Then the long nosed young man began to slowly inch away from the woman.

"No, wait a minute, Ussop. I need you to at least hold onto my jacket." Nami pleaded, indicating her own lightweight jacket she was wearing. She reached out to grab hold of the collar of the innkeeper's own coat in order to keep him there. "If you don't then it'll rip to shreds when I turn."

Ussop bought the story hook, line, and sinker. At Nami's move to grab him he became even more panicked. Even though she had a pretty good grip on his coat collar he still kept trying to pull away from her. "Sorry, Nami, there's something I forgot to do. It's really important and, uh, also I think I hear Kaya calling my name. Yeah, that's it! I gotta go visit Kaya 'cause she's important… I mean it's important that I speak to her!"

Nami didn't let him go, instead her grip tightened, and her mouth opened to release another yawn. Seeing her start to do this for the third time, Ussop screeched in fear. At the end of her yawn the orange haired thief let out a howl that was much louder and meaner sounding than her other two. Completely terrified of being attacked by the woman, transformed into a man eating wolf, Ussop slipped his arms out of his coat. Leaving it behind, in her hands, he ran screaming for the door.

Meanwhile, laughing her butt off back at the inn, Nami held up her prize in victory. "Hahaha, I can't believe it worked! That was too easy." After a good laugh the young woman went back up to her room and grabbed her travel pack. Then, without a glance back, she left the quaint little inn.

Walking down the road out of town she could still hear Ussop screaming his head off to some of the villagers about his near escape. She giggled again, the expensive coat over her shoulder. "I really do love all the gullible people in this world. They make my job so much easier."

=0=0=

Moral- Don't believe everything you hear.


	5. The Man, The Boy, and the Donkey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Franky and Chopper take center stage for this one. I kinda pulled a reversal in this chapter, since most of these have the SH crew as animals, now Chopper is a human.

One fine, brisk, spring morning a carpenter pulled one of his young friends out of bed extra early in order to help with a special assignment. The task both had for the day was to take the old cart mule that had helped pull the lumber wagon for many years and finally retire him to the countryside.

"Come on, lil bro." The older workman said as he ushered in the boy to the breakfast table. "It's a super morning and we gotta lot to do today." Franky, the carpenter, was a large man. His arms were muscular and strong and his slicked up blue hair only added to his height. This morning he had decided to wear his black sunglasses, though he didn't always, and with his flashy green work shirt he looked like he was about to visit the beach instead.

"I hope it's nothing like it was yesterday when you wanted to build a whole house by yourself." The younger of the two yawned and grumbled sleepily to his older friend. Chopper, the youngster who had been recruited by Franky, was only a teenager compared to the carpenter's much older age. He was rather on the short and thin side with light brown hair that always seemed to find its way into his wide brown eyes. The young boy had pulled on a faded red shirt with a white X in the middle of it, the fabric was so faded it almost looked pink, and a pair of maroon shorts.

Laughing even though Chopper hadn't meant to be funny, Franky merely shook his head and stuffed a stack of pancakes into his mouth. "Nah, nothing like that. We're going by old Kokoro's place." The blue haired carpenter explained after he washed his food down with a mug of some drink, Chopper wasn't even gonna ask about.

After the two friends finished their breakfast they set off with the old mule tagging along behind and tied with a simple rope. As they were setting off down the street of the village a man that owned a farm just on the outskirts of town spotted them and scoffed. "You two are idiots. Why are you walking when there's a perfectly good animal to ride on?" He asked and only shook his head at Franky and Chopper before chuckling again and going on his way.

Franky scratched his head as he stared off after the farmer. "I guess the guy's got a point. How 'bout one last ride, Chopper?" He asked his young friend with a grin and a shrug. He patted the back of the old mule in fondness.

"Yeah, okay." Chopper excitedly accepted the offer and clambered onto the back of the mule. So, with that issue settled happily, the two friends and the animal once more made their way through the village again.

Things were going along fine until the pair passed by the village tavern. This was where all the older men usually gathered to trade stories and drink. It just so happened that a group was relaxing outside the doors when Franky and Chopper walked past. "You see that, men? That lazy boy doesn't have any respect for his elders. He has two good legs to walk on and yet he won't use them. That's what's wrong with kids these days, no respect." One of the gray haired old men called out to his buddies, loud enough for the whole street to hear.

Poor Chopper blushed in shame and embarrassment as many of the people nearby turned to look at him and Franky. Hurriedly the young boy dismounted the mule even before Franky could stop. "That old man has a point, Franky." Chopper said, still ashamed, as the blue haired man turned to see what was up. "I can't ride while you walk, it wouldn't be right. You should be the one with the last ride, he was your mule anyway."

Franky looked about ready to argue but knew it was probably useless. Chopper most likely wouldn't get back on the mule with what that old man said running through his head. "Alright, lil' bro, I'll go ahead and ride him then." Franky agreed, if only so his little friend wouldn't feel so ashamed.

So, with the carpenter now riding the old mule, and his young friend leading the animal the group went on their way. Both were happy with this arrangement for some time. That is until they reached the small village schoolyard.

A few young children were outside playing at recess when Franky and Chopper passed by. Two boys and two little girls were playing with a ball, they couldn't have been more than ten years old, but they stopped what they were doing when the saw the blue haired man riding and Chopper being forced to walk. "Hey, meanie," one of the girls called and stuck her tongue out at Franky when he looked over. "Why are making that kid walk and you get to ride everywhere?"

"Yeah, you're nothing but a mean old man." The boy holding the ball yelled with a scowl.

Suddenly the school bell rang and it forced the kids to give up on their name-calling of the blue haired carpenter. After the children ran inside Franky looked down at Chopper and the brown haired boy looked right back. This was turning into a big problem. "Well, those kiddos make a good argument." Franky muttered, he was almost pouting. "I don't wanna be a mean old man."

After a few moment's of thought on the matter it seemed neither Chopper or Franky could come up with a solution but then Franky hit his palm with his fist. "Aha, I got it, Chopper bro. It's a really super idea. We can both ride on this old mule here. He's still strong enough to carry us."

Honestly, Chopper wasn't sure about that, but he couldn't see any other way. So with a shrug of his shoulders he climbed up behind Franky. The old mule shook a bit with the added weight and Chopper was thankful he wasn't very big. When the animal was sure of his footing once more the three started off again for the outskirts of the village where Kokoro's farm was.

Franky and Chopper were nearly to the river, which ran on the borders of the village, and which they would have to cross over to reach old lady Kokoro's place. It was on the road leading to the bridge where they passed by a pair of women coming back from collecting water, judging from the water jugs they carried. At seeing the poor animal having to carry both the carpenter and the young man on his back the women began to whisper and point, not so inconspicuously, at the group.

Noticing the women doing this Franky got a bad feeling of déjà vu and sighed.

The woman closest to them frowned deeply and placed her hands on her hips. "You big strong men should be ashamed of yourselves. Are your legs so weak you have to overload that poor creature with the hulking body of yourself and your friend?"

"Shame on the both of you." The other woman agreed. Her arms were crossed across her chest and she looked on in disapproval. "That poor mule certainly is mistreated."

Silently Chopper agreed with the women but also he was annoyed that they would have to think of something else to do. All Franky could do was run his hand over his face in exasperation. "Alright. Alright." He said to quickly appease the angry women as they hurriedly climbed off the animal and tried to think of something else.

They couldn't walk alongside the mule. It would displease the farmer.

They couldn't allow Chopper to ride and Franky to walk. It would displease the old men.

They couldn't allow Franky to ride and Chopper to walk. It would displease the children.

They also couldn't ride the mule together. It would displease the women.

Finally with a snap of his fingers Franky hit on another idea. He handed the rope to Chopper to hold onto while the carpenter disappeared down a space between two houses. Only a few moments later did Franky reappear. This time he had in his hands a long, stout, wooden pole.

"Uh, Franky, what're you gonna do with that?" Chopper asked curiously. He looked at the pole with confusion in his brown eyes but his older friend didn't answer. Instead Franky only took the leading rope and untied it from the mule. With some difficulty he managed to tie the animal's hooves to the pole, leaving Chopper really confused by this point.

When it seemed that the carpenter was finished tying up the mule he motioned Chopper over. "So what do think of my super plan, lil' bro?" He waved a hand toward the decidedly annoyed animal. "Now, all we gotta do is carry him the rest of the way. I dare anyone to find something wrong with this idea." Feeling really proud of himself Franky patted Chopper on the back and moved to pick up the front of the pole.

Not having a good feeling about this at all Chopper followed Franky's example and picked up the back end of the pole. Both together the two friends began to carry the now even more ticked off mule towards the bridge that was just around the corner.

As the two made their way over the low plank bridge there were a few stifled giggles from the women who were gathered at the riverside to collect water or just to visit among friends. Chopper tried to ignore them like Franky seemed to be doing. Instead the brown haired boy concentrated on not dropping his end of the pole. That was becoming increasingly difficult as the mule decided enough was enough and began to struggle against his bindings.

When they had nearly reached the other side of the bridge, all of a sudden, the rope became loose enough for the mule to get somewhat free. Neither Chopper nor Franky noticed this until it was too late.

The mule pulled one of his back hooves free and struck out at Chopper with it. Luckily it missed the surprised youngster but it did cause him to drop his end of the pole and stumble over the edge of the bridge. With a small splash the brown haired boy landed in the shallow end of the river.

With his balance off kilter Franky couldn't stay upright either. Thanks to the struggling animal and the missing help of Chopper, both the mule and the carpenter followed the younger boy into the water, with a much bigger splash.

Luckily now freed of the rope and pole the mule didn't drown. With a bray that sounded convincingly like a laugh, the animal plowed through the river water, and once it made its way onto dry land, swiftly ran away as fast as its legs could carry it. The only thing Franky and Chopper could do was watch as they sat, chest deep, in the water and listen to the laughter of the women across the river. 

They would never live this one down.

=0=0=

Moral- Try to please all and you will please none. (AKA- You can't please everyone)


	6. The Boys and the Frogs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will probably be the only chapter that actually coincides with the One Piece world. I just couldn't resist adding in the three brothers.

Deep in the forest separating Mt. Corbo and the Gray Terminal there were three young boys living in a tree house they had built. Ace and Sabo were the oldest and then the youngest was Luffy. The forest was a wild place that not many dared to enter but the three friends turned brothers treated it like a day in the park. They would hunt and fish together every day and sleep beside each other at night.

One early fall day, not yet cold enough to trade in their light summer clothes, Ace and Sabo were in the top of the tree house. Luffy had lost a bet and had to go fishing for the boy's lunch. The fishing hole was near the base so neither of the older brothers were that worried for the smaller boy as he disappeared in the trees.

"It sure is peaceful without Luffy around." Sabo mentioned as he sat beside the open window and kept watch for the young black haired boy.

Ace was busy sharpening a new spear over by the steering wheel. "Mm, yeah. Kinda nice actually." The freckled faced brother replied. "But, I wish he'd hurry it up. I'm hungry."

The curly haired blond looked worriedly at his friend. Ace didn't seem all that concerned but Luffy had been gone for a while. "Ya know, it's been an hour since we saw Luffy. Don't ya think he woulda caught something by now and come back?"

"Nah, the doofus probably ate his whole catch before he realized it, and now has to catch everything again." Ace said, not looking up from his sharpening. He opened his mouth to continue but a loud roar from some giant animal out in the forest interrupted him. Slowly his hands came to a stop and he paused in his work. He seemed to be debating with himself before he set his unfinished spear on the floor. After a minute the freckled boy casually stood up and stretched.

Sabo watched curiously. "Whatcha gonna do, Ace?"

"I'm hungry and that little cry-baby is taking too long." Ace grumbled as he picked up his usual weapon, a metal pipe. "I'm gonna go find him and tell him to hurry his ass up." Grinning now, the other brother jumped up from his spot by the window. "Ha, yeah, I'm coming too."

When the two brothers arrived at their usual fishing spot, Luffy wasn't there. He was nearby though because the boys heard his laughter. Ace and Sabo followed the voice of their younger brother.

Luffy was, in fact, a few yards down river. This was where a large pond fed into the other base of water. When Ace and Sabo found him he was shooting his arm into the water in an attempt to catch one of the many frogs swimming around.

"Hey, Sabo, Ace. Look what I can do!" Luffy called as he spotted his two brothers coming through the brush. The young rubber boy stretched back his arm and shot his hand into the pond, sending water splashing everywhere, but he pulled it out empty. "Aww." Luffy pouted. Both Sabo and Ace burst out laughing.

The youngest brother glared at the two older boys. "What's so funny? These frogs are hard to catch and they're slippery."

"Luf…Luffy, that's not how you catch frogs." Sabo said through his snickers. Ace was too busy laughing on the ground to respond. Luffy pouted and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

After getting over their laughing fit. Ace and Sabo pushed Luffy out of the way and stood determinedly over the small pond and the unsuspecting frogs.

"Outta the way, Luffy. I'll show ya how to catch frogs." Ace boasted.

"No way, you're no good either, Ace. If you really wanna know, Luffy, I'll show you." Sabo said as he stood on the opposite side of the pond.

It quickly became a contest between the two older brothers, with Luffy watching and cheering from the sidelines. How many frogs could they catch and kill before the other. Ace was using the metal pipe he brought to try and direct the frogs out of the water and then he'd smash them with it. Sabo had a spear that he used to stick the frogs in the water, like one would do to fish.

A minute passed, then five, then twenty in their little competition. The pile of frogs for both boys continued to grow. First Sabo would be ahead and then Ace would catch up and surpass the blond boy. Then that cycle would repeat. Luffy, meanwhile, would ooh and aah over the size of the frogs his older brothers were catching.

After this had been going on for a while, quite suddenly, a huge fat bullfrog jumped out of the water. It landed on a large lily pad in the very center of the pond. All three boys looked at the animal and it in turn watched them with its bulgy eyes. It was the biggest frog any of them had seen.

It's mine!" Yelled both Ace and Sabo at the same time, preparing to attack the big bullfrog head on.

Before either could move, the creature opened its mouth and in the croakiest voice they had ever heard, it spoke. "Stop! I beg you to stop. Boys, you must understand, this pond is my home. My friends are here. Your sporting contest is killing us all, if you continue as you are, there will be no one left. You might be having plenty of fun up here but it is causing pain and death for us."

Luffy stared.

Sabo gawked.

Ace blinked.

"Sorry." All three boys said to the large frog.

That night Ace, Luffy, and Sabo had frog legs for dinner. They took comfort in knowing that at least the frogs hadn't died in vain.

=0=0=

Moral - One man's pleasure may be another's pain


	7. The Cat and the Goddess

One crisp, cool, spring day a short haired orange tabby cat sat on a stone wall outside a small village. She lazily licked her paws as she watched the everyday passersby travel into and out of the small little town. Really, it was just like any other morning for the cat. After a while there were heavy footfalls behind the tabby and she turned to greet her longtime friend.

"Good morning, Brook. You aren't plowing the fields today?" The cat asked the old, worn, work horse that had come up behind her.

The black animal was the oldest horse in the village but he was a worker through and through, so even in his aged state he still strived to work the fields as he had done in his younger days. "I'm afraid not Miss Nami. These old bones are acting up more and more each day. Pretty soon I feel like I'll be all bone." He neighed into his laugh and tossed his thinning black mane around his neck. "If only I were a few years younger I'd show these young, upstart, stallions a thing or two about hard work." He laughed again.

Nami smiled and laughed as well as she continued to clean her paws. She had heard these complaints so many times it was almost a daily routine between the old animal and his younger companion. "Yes, I'm sure you'd give all of us young'uns a run for our money. Eh, old horse?" She asked with a smirk when she finished licking her paws clean.

"Well, naturally I couldn't stand a chance against you at catching mice, Miss Nami. I've heard plenty of the young kittens say you are the best mouse catcher in the village." He gave her a horsy grin.

Nami smiled in fake modesty. "It's a talent, you know."

The conversation was halted, however, when the hoof beats of a strange horse came thudding down the little dirt lane. Both Nami and Brook knew of every animal that traveled to and from the village so the different sounding hoofs of a stranger were easy to recognize. Soon the mystery animal and its rider made their appearance where the lane came out of the small woods near the wall leading into the town.

The horse was a young and pretty creature. The ebony black coat nearly shimmered in the morning sunlight and her long dark mane was brushed till it shone. The rider was just as refined looking as the animal he rode. His short sleek hair was golden yellow, the color of fresh cut hay. One eye was hidden by his bangs but the visible one was a dark blue. Nami, with her cat like observation, could even see that his one visible eyebrow was curled at the end.

Nami was instantly intrigued by the newcomer, the human man more than the horse, her yellow-green eyes followed the rider as he galloped past and into the village, she didn't even notice when Brook gave her a strange look. "I wonder if he'll be staying here for a while." She asked herself.

Brook pricked his ears forward in curiosity. "What are you thinking about Miss Nami, taking on a new master perhaps?"

It was well known to the villagers and animals alike that Nami was more a wild cat than a domestic cat. She would move from house to house whenever she wanted or sometimes she would live on her own. From the look in her eyes it seemed Nami was looking to pick a new house to stay in.

"I don't want him to be a master Brook, I think… I think I love him. He is so handsome, even for a human, and he has such a kind face." The orange furred tabby continued to stare in the direction the strange rider had taken. Brook looked surprised at his young friend but she seemed to be in another world.

Suddenly, out of the blue, there was a woman standing in the field with the orange tabby and the old horse. At first glance both animals could tell she was no normal woman. For one she had appeared out of nowhere, without either of them seeing her approach. The woman was dressed in a stylish robe, something that no one in the village would ever even own, her long blue hair was shining with a light that seemed brighter than the brightest lantern. The strange woman was silent for a moment, just looking at the pair of animals as they looked back at her.

"My, my, what have we here?"

Nami and Brook looked at each other. Now there was no doubt she wasn't normal as normal humans just didn't come talk to random farm animals. "Is she talking to us?" Brook whispered down to Nami. Before the cat could answer, the woman did it for her.

"Yes, my good horse, I am talking to you. Or should I say more precisely, I am talking to your friend, the cat." Here she looked with kind grey eyes at a shocked Nami.  


Nami glanced from the woman to Brook and back to the woman. Her yellow-green eyes were narrowed in suspicion. "Who are you?"

The strange woman chuckled lightly at Nami's attitude. "Do you not know me then? I am the goddess, Vivi." Nami and Brook's jaws dropped at this revelation. One of the resident goddesses was standing in this lowly little field and concerning herself with the lives of worthless, dirty, farm animals. "I heard what you had to say, young cat. I can help you to gain that man's heart."

Nami gaped wider and there was a spark of hope in her eyes. Even though she had fallen for the human man, she was still a cat, so there was no chance for her to ever be with him. "Could you really help me, beautiful goddess?"

Vivi smiled gently down at the hopeful little tabby and with a nod of her head she disappeared. Brook hadn't stopped gawking since the woman had revealed herself to be a true goddess but with her sudden vanishing the old work horse seemed to brought out of a trance. The black horse shook his head, his mane flopping over his neck again, and he turned to his friend. A shock awaited the animal as his gaze landed on the spot the younger orange cat had been mere seconds ago.

In her place sat a young human. A young orange haired woman to be exact. She was dressed in a simple but fine looking dress, her long orange hair was pulled back out of her deep brown eyes in a loose braid. The woman seemed to be in a state of shock herself as she lifted her arm to flex her new five digit hand. "I'm human. I can't believe it." She murmured. Surprised brown eyes looked up into the eyes of her friend. He neighed, but sadly, she realized she couldn't understand what he was trying to say. "Brook, I'm sorry, I can't understand you anymore but thanks for being my friend all this time. I must find that man again. I promise I'll come see you though." With that the newly turned woman walked into the village for the first time on two legs. Brook frowned after his friend.

He had a bad feeling in his old bones about this arrangement.

The man's name was Sanji. He was a wealthy farmer's son from another town that had come to this little village to get away from his overbearing father. Nami had found him easily, sitting in the tavern, and being surrounded by curious villagers. She walked up to him and it was instantly love at first sight for the young farmer. He began to woo her and lavish praise on her as soon as she stepped into his sight.

"Everyone," he called out to the people in the tavern, "I will marry this beautiful, angelic, woman today! She is the most beautiful creature this town has to offer." Sanji laughed happily and toasted with his cup of sake in one hand and the beautiful orange haired woman in the other.

As he said, it was done, before the sun set in the sky the wealthy young man had wed the former feline.

The pair of them lived happily on a well-tended farm outside the village. Sanji was happy that he had found such a beauty for a bride and Nami lived happily enough as a human woman even though she couldn't visit her other animal friends. For the first few weeks they were both very content with life.

Nami would spend her days doing her best to make her new husband happy and Sanji would return her affection each evening when he came home from the fields. They lived on in this way for a few weeks until the goddess, Vivi, decided to check in on the cat turned woman. Unknown to Nami, the goddess watched the orange haired woman work in the kitchen, and she then turned her eyes to the blonde man Nami had chosen to wed. He was sitting at the table waiting on his dinner to be served. "I wonder if this woman has truly given up her old ways as a cat? Or does she still turn to her feline actions?" Vivi asked herself.

"How was your work in the fields today, Sanji?" Nami asked as she stirred their dinner on the stove.

Sanji smiled at his wife, she was always beautiful when she worked in the kitchen. "It went just fine, I think we'll have a good harvest this fall." He answered and took a drink from his mug. Suddenly there was a crash of plates behind him and he spit his drink out in surprise. The blonde man whirled around to see what trouble his wife was in and a small creature scurrying across the floor caught his eye, a mouse.

Sanji leapt to his wife's aid. He naturally believed that, like most women, she was afraid of the small animal. It wasn't so with Nami, before the blonde farmer had made it to his wife's side he saw the lovely woman drop to the floor on hands and knees. Her pretty brown eyes were trained on the little mouse. Then with a single pounce his wife had leapt forward and caught the furry creature in her hands.

Only after the mouse was caught did Nami seem to realize what she was doing and she quickly stood up. The mouse had been released in her shock.

"Nami, wh…what are you doing?" Sanji was at a loss for words. What would drive his graceful wife to act this way? All of a sudden there was another woman in the room with them, her beauty was not of this world, and Sanji instantly knew this must be an angel of some sort.

The blue haired goddess stared at Nami but not unkindly. The ethereal beauty could feel the transformed woman's shame for her actions. "It was I who let the mouse in, young cat. You have claimed to love this young man, yet you could not hide your true nature from him. You could not change yourself. You are truly a cat and an animal. As such it is unnatural for you to be with this man."

Throughout all this Sanji couldn't keep his eyes away from the goddess. He only shifted his gaze to his wife when the strange beauty had claimed she was a cat, Nami's head was bowed and her eyes hidden, when he turned back to the strange woman she was gone. She hadn't left a trace behind. For only a moment the farmer thought it must have been a dream. Sanji turned to Nami to ask what was going on but she had disappeared as well, in her place were only her clothes, left in a pile on the floor. The man bent down to pick up his wife's dress but jerked up in shock as an orange tabby cat slunk from under the clothing. The cat looked up at him with sad yellow-green eyes and he could only ask, "Why?"  
In answer the cat gave a soft mew before it turned away and ran out the door.

One warm, sunny, summer day a short haired orange tabby cat sat on a stone wall outside a small village. She lazily licked her paws as she watched the everyday passersby travel into and out of the small little town. It was just like any other morning for the cat. After a while there were heavy footfalls behind the tabby and she turned to greet her longtime friend.

The old work horse, Brook, slowly ambled up to the fence. He stood beside his young friend and remained silent until she finished with her paws. "It is good to have you back, Miss Nami."

The cat laughed. "Brook, you have said this every morning since my return. I'm glad I was missed but you don't need to keep repeating it."

It had been a few weeks since Nami's experience and things had gone back to normal for the young cat, there had also been no other sign from the goddess either, and Nami was somewhat thankful for that. Sanji and his horse were no longer in the village. One week after she had returned to her natural form, Nami had watched him ride out of town, in much the same way he had entered.

The young farmer had only spared a moment's glance to the familiar orange tabby cat sitting on the stone wall. They hadn't seen anything from him since.

Suddenly Brook's neigh broke her thoughts and Nami looked up. She was startled to see another cat padding softly down the old stone wall coming from the direction opposite of the village. He was heading straight for the pair of friends. The stranger was a scruffy looking black street cat and Nami's observant gaze even caught sight of a small scar under his left eye. He stopped directly in front of Nami and Brook and he smiled.

"Heya, name's Luffy." He introduced himself happily. "I just got here. I came from a big town and want to see what this place has to offer." He looked from the other cat to the horse and back to the cat again with a wide grin. "Ya know, you're kinda cute, wanna show me around. How 'bout some lunch, I'm a pretty good mouse catcher." He leapt down from the wall and waited for Nami to move. The whole while Nami had only watched Luffy without so much as a word.

Nami stared down at the energetic newcomer and she felt a fluttery feeling in her chest that seemed to go deeper for this strange street cat than any feeling she had for Sanji. "Um, my name's Nami, and I happen to know a good place for mouse catching nearby." She jumped down to land gracefully next to the black cat and led him away. Meanwhile, having been left behind again, Brook looked after the two young cats and laughed.

He had a good feeling in his old bones.

=0=

Moral- Nature exceeds nurture -AKA- A leopard can't change its spots


	8. The Dog and the Wolf

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Zoro's turn to play this time. Just saying now, he will have a better sense of direction than usual.

It was a harsh winter in the forest. Any animal, from the largest bear to the smallest rabbit, would tell you it was probably the worst, coldest, snowiest, winter in the last few years. There wasn't a den or burrow that wasn't affected by the cold or the lack of food. The grass and trees were either frozen or had disappeared under the snow, so the herbivores had no choice left but to leave the forest, or suffer through near starvation. That left the carnivores that had stayed behind even less food than they would usually have during the winter months.

It was nearing twilight as a rogue wolf was on the hunt for his dinner. Like all the animals, winter had been harsh for the hunter, and he was lean from hunger. His silver-ish fur was still sleek even through these rough times. His body was battle scarred as proof of the tough life every wild animal must face. A large scar ran across the wolf's broad chest from a fight long since past and a newer scar graced over one of the wolf's dark eyes.

Zoro slowly crept forward, his steady gaze trained on the small rabbit in the clearing. His paws only slightly crunched the fresh snow underfoot and his breath came in puffs in front of his long snout. The silver furred hunter was careful not to make a noise, as the slightest alarm could alert the rabbit and he would be out another dinner. He had missed too many already this winter.

With the prize within striking distance Zoro prepared to jump into action. If everything went as planned, he would be chowing down within a few seconds. The large wolf tensed his muscles, once he started he would have to be fast, and prepared to spring.

A steadying breath.

A cautious step forward.

And the sound of a hidden branch snapping in the snow.

Zoro wasted a full second to growl at himself and then dashed forward in a flurry of powdery snow to still try and catch his dinner. Unfortunately for the wolf, the rabbit was faster, and was gone the instant the sound of an enemy reached its long ears. This left Zoro biting at pure white snow where the small animal had been mere moments ago.

"Dammit!" Zoro cursed under his breath as he swiped his claws angrily at a passing bit of snow.

The battle scarred wolf stalked away with his head lowered and his ears flat against the side of his head, a clear sign he wasn't in a good mood. He made his way down toward the trail that ran through the woods. It was one men often traveled and he knew it would lead him closer to the human's village and he might get some scraps to eat there. Nothing as good or filling as rabbit but it was something.

His empty stomach grumbled in displeasure but he tried his best to ignore it. After a few minutes of trudging through the deep snow Zoro found his way onto the man trail, the snow was less deep here and easier going for him. In record time he found himself on the edges of the village.

The sun was just beginning to set over the forest as he sat at the outskirts, waiting for darkness to fall before sneaking into the inner reaches of the human world. As he was sitting in the snow, with the fluffy white flakes falling slowly and gently on his already silver fur, the wolf heard another creature approach his position. He knew it wasn't trying to be hidden by the amount of noise it was making. A moment later a small black and white dog sat herself down next to the much larger wild hunter.

"You don't look well at all, cousin Wolf. The winter has been difficult for you, eh?" The house dog stated with a half grin. "This wild life of yours will kill you sooner or later."

Zoro scowled at the pet beside him. "Shove off, Dog. I'm in no mood for your too high and mighty attitude. And, I'm just hungry enough that you're lookin a little tasty."

"You can call me Tashigi, that's what my human calls me at least." The black and white dog didn't seem intimidated in the least by the larger animal's thinly veiled threat on her life. "Why don't you work for the humans like I do and have the food given to you? You won't go hungry that way."

A soft growl issued from the throat of the silver furred wolf as he huffed in clear aggravation. "You're annoying, little pet. As if any human would just take in a wolf off the street to work for him."

Tashigi chuckled lightly. "I can easily fix that for you. Come with me to my master and you can share my work load. As long as you don't slack off you'll be fed every day and have a warm place to sleep at night."

Zoro bit back a retort and actually seemed to think about the offer. His stomach again growled in demand of food. He slowly nodded and got to his paws in order to follow Tashigi to her master.

The black and white house dog seemed happy enough to lead the wolf towards the human village, however, the wild animal was nervous about this whole situation. He followed the human's pet around the borders of the town, heading for the opposite side of it. Obviously she wasn't as naïve as she seemed and knew that humans and wolves didn't usually get along very well.

About half-way round the village Zoro started noticing something odd about his fellow canine's appearance. Since he was the one following her, he had a pretty good view of the back of her neck, and he saw that her fur was kinda worn and ruffed up around a certain spot. Despite telling himself that he didn't care, Zoro was rather curious, 'cause he had never seen a mark like that on an animal before.

"Yo, mutt," Zoro started, trying to sound as uncaring as possible. "What is that mark around your neck?"

Tashigi looked back at him in confusion for a moment, then seemed to realize what he was talking about. She shrugged her shoulders and explained. "Oh, that? It's nothing really. That's just where my human puts his collar on, to keep me chained up at night. It chafes a bit but you'll get used to it soon enough. It's a small price to pay for shelter and food."

"Is that all?" Zoro halted in his steps and frowned deeply at the little black and white house pet he had been following. Tashigi looked back at him, cocking her head and wondering why he had stopped. "It might be a small price to pay for you, Dog, but I wouldn't be caught dead being a slave to the humans. That's all you are, no matter how you disguise it. You trade freedom for safety and pride for security. I'd rather go back to the woods and die tomorrow as a free creature than live for twenty more years as a fat, collared, human plaything."

With that being said the silver furred wolf turned on his heels and loped off, leaving the still confused dog behind him. Zoro didn't stop until he reached the shelter of the trees again. Night had fallen long ago and the sky was open and clear letting the millions of stars shine through. He breathed in the free air and promised himself he would not go back to that village again.

=0=

Moral- It is better to starve free than to be a fat slave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't picture anyone but Tashigi as the house dog and since her rival is Zoro that automatically made him the wolf. I instantly drew a parallel between the little pet dog and its relationship with humans as Tashigi is with the marines. She follows orders from those above her and doesn't even notice the collar around her neck to be led around by whoever is in control. As Zoro said, trading her own personal freedom for the security her master provides.


	9. The Bird and the Pitcher

The summer afternoon was a scorcher. In fact, the whole summer had been a scorcher. Drought had ravaged the fields and the villages and the woods. Most animals were skin and bones because all the edible plant life had withered and died. And the carnivores were suffering because of the constant migration of their prey and the weakness of no water affected them too. Water sources were either already dried up or becoming that way fairly quickly. Ponds, lakes, and rivers were no longer the active gathering center they once were. There was no point when there was no water.

High overhead, surveying this desolate scene, was a lone blue bird. This devastation was also felt by even the smallest bird flying in the air, from sparrow to eagle.

Franky had left his nest very early in the day, hoping to find a large enough water source to quench his thirst, but unfortunately there was none to be found. Despite this bad luck and his raging thirst the blue bird was happily twittering a little tune as he flew through the air.

He had always loved to show off his flying capability and now was no exception, even with no one around to see it. As he was pulling off a triple corkscrew, power bomb, dive, he saw to his excitement a small farm up ahead. It was as dry and dusty as everywhere else but as he flew closer his sharp-eyed sight caught onto a tall, thin, clay pitcher sitting on the edge of a closed up well. Franky could only hope that there was some of the life giving liquid in that pitcher.

Alighting carefully on the rim of the clay jug Franky stuck his beak down the dark hole and took a look at what was left inside. "Aw, that is so not super." He sighed in disappointment and longing.

While there was water in the pitcher, it was all the way at the bottom, and there was no way he would be able to get to it. Even if he tipped the jug over and spilled the water out, the dry, thirsty ground would only soak it up before it could be drank.

Franky flittered to the ground next to the closed well. It was so disappointing. "I'm so close but I still cant get to it. That is so uncool."

He hopped around the well to see what was on the other side, he didn't expect much, but what he really didn't expect to see was a large wooden tub. Franky had seen humans use these things before. It was usually used for storing different things. Sometimes fruit or vegetables, sometimes grain, and a lot of times water. The thirsty bird fluttered upwards to the rim of the tub and wasn't at all surprised to find it bone dry. He frowned and wished he hadn't remembered what humans had used it for. Thinking of all that water was only depressing his mood.

As if in defiance of his mind's wishes one more memory surfaced to the top. Franky remembered back to the summer before, it wasn't quite so dry and parched then, when he had been flying over a human's farm one evening. A young human child had been filling the tub full of water and afterwards had stripped off his clothing and climbed into the tub. The child had put in so much water that the it sloshed over the side when he climbed in.

Franky chuckled but at the same time almost cried at the waste of what he needed so badly now. What he wouldn't give for water to be sloshing out of this tub at this moment. But, it didn't do any good to wish for something that only existed in a memory.

Flapping his wings the little blue bird prepared to take off again, in search of water he could actually drink. But then, something seemed to click in his brain. An idea formed, slowly, but it was definitely there.

The water in the human child's tub spilled over only after the boy put his body into the tub with the water. The liquid had risen over the side with the addition of something else being dropped into it. 'Could that work without a human body?' Franky turned his blue feathered head in the direction of the pitcher and everything clicked into place.

A small pebble lay at the base of the dry tub. Franky quickly glided down and picked it up with his beak. Then he turned around to fly back to the pitcher. Dropping it into the pitcher's mouth, he heard it hit bottom, and looked inside. The water level didn't look like it had risen any. "Well, maybe I should get some bigger stones. Obviously those small pebbles wont do the trick." And with that he was off to search around the well and farm for some larger stones.

By the time the fifth good sized rock had hit bottom Franky could see that the water level was rising, slowly but surely.

On one trip he was picking up a rock near the house, the building seemed abandoned, and suddenly from above he heard a call. "Don't tell me the water's gotten so scarce now that us birds have to try and get water from stones?"

Looking up Franky saw that he now had a guest watching his work. A large crow had perched itself on the roof of the house and he was the one who had spoken. From what the little blue bird could see, it was an animal used to hard luck. The crow had a scar over one eye but it's talons were sharp and its feathers were ruffled as if it's been in a tussle with something bigger.

"Nope," Franky answered the crow's sarcastic question, "there's a pitcher over by the well. I'm trying to get water out of it by dropping these stones in the bottom."

The black feathered bird burst out into loud laughter. "You're trying to get water out of a pitcher just by dropping stones into it. Hahaha, yeah right. If I missed seeing that, I'll tell myself later, 'Zoro, you missed one heck of a show.'"

Franky frowned in the crow's direction but continued on his task without another word. He picked up the stone he had originally decided on, using his feet to grip this one, it was larger than most of the others. Zoro, the crow, continued to watch the little blue bird work.

A little while later the crow's entertainment was disturbed from a noise down below. Two cats were slinking around the backside of the house. One was a sandy yellow color and he seemed to be following closely after an ebony black one. From the ruckus he was putting up, Zoro would have to guess the yellow cat was trying unsuccessfully to woo the black one. The cats rounded the corner and the female in front saw the little blue bird hard at work near the well. She stopped and Zoro saw her head tilt in confusion.

"My dear, beautiful, Robin. Why did you suddenly stop? Are you tired? Hungry? Want me to hunt down something for you to eat? I am your most humble slave." Sanji, the yellow cat, asked as he came up beside the object of his pursuit.

Robin, the unfortunate cat having been saddled with her companion, sighed but smiled lightly. "Sanji, the only way to hunt is silently, we don't want to alert anything to where we are. Isn't that correct?"

Sanji looked taken aback for a moment but then nodded quickly. "Yes, of course, angel. Anything you say. I am very sorry, please forgive me."

"Stupid love-struck idiot." Zoro said from up on the roof. His words caused the two animals on the ground to look up at him.

"What did you say to me, you feathered dinner plate?" Sanji hissed angrily.

Robin spoke up before the inevitable argument and fight could ensue. "Crow, might I ask if you have any news of the situation?"

In this time of dire need if animals weren't being outright hostile with each other they would often share information. Food or water sources. Any changes in the weather. Places to avoid and other things of that nature. And since birds could travel farther and faster than any other animal they were often asked before any other.

Zoro shifted his gaze to the black cat and then looked away. "No. It's barren as far as a bird's eye can see. The fields are withered, the wells have long been closed, and the rivers are nothing but lonely empty beds."

"What is that poor creature doing over by the well then?" Robin asked, indicating Franky dropping a rock in the pitcher again. "Has he gone mad with the heat and thirst?"

"Honestly, I don't know. He just might be. That little bird thinks he will get water out of that jug if he drops stones into it. I'm curious to see how far he'll go, so don't eat him just yet." Zoro grinned down at the two cats as he explained what Franky had told him. Maybe the smaller blue bird was out of his mind.

Franky could see out of the corner of his eye that his audience had grown now to include two cats. Not to mention the crow. He supposed the cats didn't try to eat him yet because like the crow they were waiting to see if he would succeed or fail in his attempt. As he flew back to the well with another stone the little bird smiled to himself. He knew he was close to the top now. As the stone dropped into the mouth of the pitcher Franky saw that the water level was now close enough for his small beak to reach easily. He almost couldn't contain his joy.

It had taken a few hours of tedious work and mocking stares and jibes. However, now was the time for the reward. Franky stuck his head into the mouth of the clay jug and took a long drink of the water there. As he raised his head water droplets fell from his beak. The three animals watching were surprised, Zoro and Sanji's jaws were on the ground, but Robin had figured out his trick. She had once been a house cat and knew what the bird had done.

Taking another long drink, the little blue bird was satisfied with himself. Franky drank his fill from the pitcher, till he thought he was gonna burst. And as he looked over at his three watchers he saw the crow and one of the cats were still flabbergasted at his feat. He felt so happy that he couldn't help but show off as he took to the sky again. "What a super trick I just figured out! I should use that again." He performed a looping, twirl, aerial spin as he pointed himself in the direction back to his nest.

=0=0=

Moral- Necessity is the mother of invention


	10. The Tortoise and the Hare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story I'm sure most of you have been waiting for, The Tortoise and the Hare. There's still gonna be a few more chapters after this so, we're not done yet.

One fine summer day that wasn't too hot, and with a refreshing breeze rustling through the tree branches, a young hare entered the field where he and his friends usually gathered to eat and talk and generally have some fun.

The field itself was near an old farmhouse that had stood unused and vacant for years, so any danger that might've come from a farmer was gone. In fact, the only danger there could've been was the black cat that had taken up residence in the, still intact, barn. However, she wasn't interested in hunting the furry forest animals.

It was late afternoon by the time the sandy colored hare hopped into the field. Everyone was there already, which was unusual.

Franky, the badger, was napping near the farmhouse's broken porch. He wasn't bothered in the least by letting his guard completely down next to the crafty cat. Robin, the black furred hunter, was watching the other animals from her usual spot in the shade of the ramshackle front porch. She would sometimes be drawn into their conversations and games but mostly she liked to sit back and watch.

Ussop, the chattering little magpie, was perched on the wooden rail of the fence. He was busy talking to anyone with an ear to listen. Chopper, an innocent young deer who had only just started growing into his antlers, was enraptured with everything the black and white bird was saying. His cute little blue nose didn't even bother any of the group as it had done to other animals in the forest.

Brook, the old raven, had perched himself on one of the remaining porch rails. He was chatting casually with the ever calm and collected cat. Zoro, the slow and heavy turtle, had dozed off again in the warmth of the afternoon. By the looks of it he had probably been talking to the smallest and most excitable of the group.

Luffy, the happy-go-lucky chipmunk, was almost as talkative as Ussop. Even though his turtle friend had clearly fallen asleep the little animal had yet to notice as he sat on top of the rounded shell. Nami, a bossy little red furred rabbit, was soaking up the warm sunshine as she laid out on the soft grass next to the talkative chipmunk and snoozing turtle. With the best hearing out of all of the animals gathered, she was the first one to hear the latecomer approaching.

Not that he cared much for being quiet about it.

"My beautiful angel! I'm so sorry for being late!" A very familiar voice yelled out, even before the sandy fur of the hare could be seen over the tall grass.

Nami pricked her ears to the sound and jumped to her paws in alarm. "Oh no, not again." She groaned and looked around her for a quick place to hide. Don't get her wrong, the little rabbit cared for her friends- even the annoying ones- but Sanji was often too much to handle. She quickly jumped behind Chopper, distracting the deer from Ussop's story, and hoped that no one would give her away.

"Oh, my sweet, flower…" Sanji burst on the scene in his usual love struck fashion and immediately glanced around for the object of his eternal devotion. "Eh? Where's…"

"Hey, Sanji, it's about time." Luffy finally stopped talking long enough to notice the newcomer and greet him. The chipmunk noticed the hare looking for something and he grinned. "If you're looking for Nami, she's over there by Chopper."

"Luffy, you traitor!" Nami suddenly popped up from behind the deer and pointed accusingly at him.

"Shishishi." Luffy laughed so hard he slipped off Zoro's shell and landed on his friend's head. "Ow!"

Zoro woke up just in time to hear Sanji start in on his bragging and trying to impress the red furred rabbit. "I'm so sorry I was late, my angel. I was busy running circles around a pair of hunting dogs. It was all so that I could see your smiling face again." The turtle groaned upon hearing the hare's boasting, it seemed to never end when he was around Nami.

Nami herself only sweatdropped and offered a forced grin. "Uh, that's great Sanji. I'm glad you got away from those hunters. Now I think I'll go, uh, over here." The smaller rabbit tried to disengage from the persistent creature but unfortunately for her, he was quite stubborn.

The hare followed her, not yet ready to give up. "Ah, I know you must be worried about me. You really shouldn't, you know." Sanji insisted as he sidled up alongside Nami. "I'm the fastest animal in the forest, no one can catch me."

Hearing that statement the turtle couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"If you go on talking about yourself anymore I'd think you turned into that annoying, chattering, magpie over there." Zoro chuckled. Off to the side Ussop squawked in indignation at the green turtle's accusation. Sanji glared, his attention being diverted from his lovely little bunny.

Nami took the opportunity of the hare's distraction to hurriedly slip away and take refuge next to Robin, Brook, and the sleeping Franky.

"What did you say to me, shellback?" Sanji asked angrily.

"That fluff on your tail get in your ears too?" Zoro smirked mockingly. "I said that you can talk all you want to but I bet I could beat you in a race any day of the week."

With that declaration from a turtle of all creatures, the small group of animals went silent, and even the wind seemed to stop blowing through the grasses. The moment was broken by Sanji. "Hahaha! Yeah right. You beat me? That's the funniest thing I've heard in a long time." He continued to laugh even as the others looked between themselves and then back at Zoro's serious expression.

"Sanji-bro, I don't think he's kidding." Franky muttered sleepily. The badger had just woken from his nap because of the hare's loud laughter. He didn't know what the whole thing was about but the expression on his friend's face told him enough.

"You really think that you can beat him, Zoro?" Chopper asked, starry eyed. His full attention had shifted from the black and white bird to the green, shell covered, turtle.

"Why don't you back that mouth of yours up then." Zoro challenged.

Sanji finally stopped his chuckles and glanced over to the confident shell-backed animal. He had a contemplative look on his furry face and then he smirked. "That's a no-brainer. I could dance 'round you all the way to the finish line."

Suddenly, Nami was in-between the two, a familiar glimmer in her eyes. "Well, I think that settles it. We'll have a competition. A tortoise challenges a hare to a race, who woulda thought any animal would be dumb enough to do that?" Zoro growled and Sanji drifted back into his love state. Nami was already lost in her thoughts as she tried to figure ways to turn this to her advantage. "I wonder if I could sell tickets."

"Ooh, yeah! This is gonna be sooo exciting!" Luffy quickly piped up from the ground where he just woke up from knocking himself out when he crashed into Zoro's hard head earlier. His little chipmunk body was quivering in anticipation already.

Chopper and Ussop were quick to get into the spirit of things and even Franky wandered over to offer his assistance at marking out the trail the two would use. By the end of the planning process, which Zoro and Sanji's help was denied for fairness reasons, all parts and roles were assigned for the great race.

As everything worked out, Nami and Robin would plan out the course, and both Franky and Brook would mark it out. Spreading the word to the rest of the forest had fallen to Ussop and Luffy, for obvious reasons.

Chopper would be given the, oh so important, job of being the starter once the day of the race came. Ussop volunteered to be the animal's eye in the sky, so to speak, during the run.

Finally, at the finish line, Robin would be the referee to name the winner. Chopper had suggested Nami for the role but it was ultimately decided the little rabbit couldn't be trusted if she continued the betting pool that had started the very day the challenge had been laid out by Zoro. Needless to say, Sanji had a landslide of odds in his favor.  


The day of the great race dawned breezy and warm. The air was filled with the buzz of excitement and anticipation as both big and small creatures from all over the woods gathered along the trail from start to finish line. Coincidently the course started out on the riverside, not too far away from the farmhouse, and it ended in a large clearing halfway across the forest.

It looked like a few of the animals had gathered for the start of the race when Sanji came up on the spot where he and the lazy turtle would begin. Not near as many as he thought would show, but then again, he figured most were probably waiting to see him cross the finish line in record time. Chopper was here already and looked just as excited as if he were racing himself. The sandy colored hare received a few cheers when he hopped up to the start line and he turned to blow kisses in the direction where he knew a few ladies waited.

Surprisingly Zoro showed up a few minutes later. The answer to the notoriously slow and lost turtle arriving anywhere near on time was perched on his back. Luffy was bobbing up and down, urging his companion to go even faster, and the directions were given to him by Brook. The raven often pausing to ruffle his wings when Luffy accidentally bumped into him.

When Zoro approached the line, there was a lot more noise following him, and it was a shock to hear that not all of it was laughter. There were a few genuine shouts of good luck for the turtle.

"You can give up now, shellback." Sanji offered with a confident smirk. "It would probably be less embarrassing."

"In your dreams, fuzzy." Zoro growled. "I'll be waiting for you to catch up at the finish line."

Chopper walked over then, a big grin on his face, and Ussop was perched delicately on top of the little deer's head. "You guy's ready? Everyone has been waiting and Ussop said that Nami and Robin are situated at the end."

Both the tortoise and the hare nodded and got into their starting positions. Ussop took flight and hovered above the starting spot, ready to do his job. Chopper retreated to his place on the sidelines, eager to start the thing everyone had been talking about recently. Luffy patted Zoro's head in good luck, and also because he wanted to, and he slid off his friend's shell and scampered up the nearest tree to get a good view of things. Brook remained behind, perched easily on the back of the hard shell. He had been directed by Nami and Robin to be the turtle's sense of direction- since everyone knew Zoro had none.

"Alright, on the count of three." Chopper declared loud enough for everyone to hear. Sanji tensed, his legs coiled like a spring, but Zoro was as relaxed as if he was going for a nice stroll.

Chopper stamped his front hoof once. Zoro smirked, knowing what the hare would do.

Chopper stamped his front hoof twice. Sanji was only focused on leaving his rival in the dust.

Chopper stamped his front hoof three times. Before the dust had settled from the impact, Sanji had bolted from the start line and was out of sight. Zoro yawned and slowly began his trek through the woods at his own steady pace.

Half the animals seemed to deflate when Zoro didn't seem to have any kind of secret weapon at all. The turtle only continued on in his usual way of doing things. The amazed stars slowly disappeared from Chopper's eyes.

Meanwhile, very far ahead on the course, Sanji had slowed down a bit to look behind him. Frankly, he was curious if the dumb turtle had some secret winning strategy also. However, as all that was behind him was trees and bushes, the hare scoffed. He laughed as he took a more leisurely pace through the woods, now sure that there would be no contest between him and Zoro, he was already so far ahead.

The warm sun beat down on the forest as the hare made his way through the race course. The shade under the tree's cover was refreshing in the heat and there was also a comfortable breeze blowing through the leaves. It was almost to much a temptation to just lay back and take a nap.

In fact, that's just what the overconfident hare decided to do. He knew without a doubt he had such a great lead on the turtle that he could probably take a nap and have a snack and still make it to the finish with time to spare. So with a lazy stretch Sanji found a little spot under one of the trees next to the course and laid down to have himself a nap.  


Sometime later a smirking Zoro silently passed by the snoozing creature.

In the clearing where the finish line was located one very impatient bunny rabbit was tapping her foot. She was clearly annoyed. Sanji should've already been here, crossed the finish, won the race, and earned her the pot on the little betting game she rigged up.

And she wasn't the only one losing patience.

Most of the animals were wondering what had happened to the self-proclaimed fastest creature in the forest. And even if he wasn't the fastest, surely he was much quicker than a turtle was.

Ussop, the little magpie whose wings were only matched by his big beak, had already been sent to find out what was going on. And as a side order from Nami, to get Sanji's rear in gear. It took a few minutes but finally Ussop came back and landed on Chopper's head again. All the ones waiting for the outcome of the race looked to him for information. The little bird was panting as if he'd flown top speed back to the others for some reason. "Zoro's almost here." He said breathlessly. "He should be coming through the brush any second now."

Everyone gasped at that news. How in the world could Zoro be leading Sanji? That's just what Nami asked, albeit, slightly more panicky. "What about Sanji? Where is he?"

Ussop shifted nervously. He wasn't sure how well this news would be taken but since Nami asked… "He was taking a nap under one of the trees not very far from here. I woke him up before coming back here and he's on his way too." The little bird cringed, ready for the worst.

"A NAP…?" Nami screamed in an outrage that seemed to be mirrored by many of her fellow forest neighbors.

However, any following comments or curses were cut off as true to the magpie's word, the slowly moving turtle entered the clearing. The black raven, Brook, was still carried on his back. One by one he nodded a greeting to each of the stunned animals he passed on his way to the two limbs sticking out of the ground indicating where the finishing line was. There to greet the underdog hero were his small group of friends, all of them grinning happily, well… except for Nami. The red furred rabbit was feverishly looking for any signs of the missing hare.

When Zoro's foot crossed the line the entire clearing descended into a stunned silence.

Then, staring with Luffy, everyone let out a raucous cheer. Congratulations, both reluctant and happy, were shouted. Laughter rang out from the center of the crowd, undoubtedly coming from the smallest source possible, the tiny chipmunk. Luffy had once again climbed to the top of the shell of his friend and was enjoying the celebration more than Zoro probably was. Nami was off to the side crying to herself for everything she had lost betting on that loser hare. She was halfway being consoled by the black cat, Robin, as the feline watched the ruckus go on.

No one noticed when an out of breath, sandy furred, hare stumbled into the clearing. He took one look at the crowd gathered around the victorious Zoro and knew he wouldn't hear the end of it if he showed up now. "Maybe it's a good time to start hibernating." He muttered to himself as he slipped away, back into the forest, hoping that somehow the Earth would swallow him up before the next time to meet his friends came around.

=0=0=

Moral- Slow and Steady Wins the Race


	11. The Men and the Bear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so that was a long break, but hopefully I can wrap this up in a few more chapters.  
> Love you guys for reading.

It was a beautiful fall morning. The leaves were just starting to change their colors. The air was crisp and cool but not enough to be unpleasant to any traveler. All in all, everything was peaceful and quiet. On the only road connecting two small towns however one young man wasn't quiet or taking in the peacefulness. "So, how long until we get there again?" Usopp complained to his traveling companion. He didn't even try to conceal how boring this little journey to the next town was.

Chopper, the other young traveler, yawned loudly. He was bored too. The younger of the two dug into his bag for a moment and finally pulled out a map. For the two friends it was both their first times going out of the village. "Well, this is the only road, and at the pace were setting now it'll probably be another two or three hours."

Usopp groaned. "Looking at nothing but trees for the next two hours is going to be so boring. I had heard stories that this path was dangerous." The long-nosed man sighed and adjusted the pack over his shoulder.

Both of them kept walking for another minute before Chopper started up conversation again, for something to do more than anything else. "Dangerous? What have you heard, Usopp? It doesn't seem so bad to me." Chopper fought back another lazy yawn.

A twinkle entered the long nosed man's eye. He was a known storyteller in the village, hard pressed to resist an audience for his tall tales. "Well, of course, there are bandits. Not to mention all sorts of wild animals. They don't bother me though. All thieves don't even dare to show themselves in front of me, I'm a famous bandit hunter. I remember one time I took down a group of fifty huge men all by myself. Then there was the day I fought against the king of boars that used to live around here. Naturally, after I finished with him the village didn't have to worry about food for some time." Usopp laughed loudly with his chest puffed out.

Chopper looked amazed at his friend, completely overlooking the fact that it was the first time either of them had left the area of the village borders. "Oh, Usopp, you're so cool!"

Usopp grinned widely, fully prepared to go on with his amazing exploits for the benefit of his younger companion. He wasn't able to however for the sole reason that all of a sudden, with a loud terrifying roar, a huge bear came bursting through the underbrush and onto the path.

The huge creature was dark brown in color and larger than anything the two young travelers had seen before. The animal stood on its two back legs. It reached almost nine feet upright and it let out another deafening roar. Drool flew from its mouth and he looked really hungry.

Poor young Chopper was frozen in terror in the middle of the trail, his mouth was gaping in fear, and only small whimpers able to escape. His teary brown eyes shifted to the side, searching for his 'brave' companion only to find himself totally alone. Usopp was gone. Where? Chopper had no idea. The youngster felt his knees give out and he fell to the dirt on his side. The only protection he could offer himself was his arms which he covered his head with.

The bear shuffled closer and sniffed Chopper all over. The much smaller figure held his breath and played possum hoping the beast would leave him alone. Everyone knew bears wouldn't scavenge dead things from the forest floor. After a minute or two the bear seemed to lose interest in the still body and he slowly ambled away back into the woods.

When he was sure the large creature was gone for good Chopper sat up again. He was panting for breath, shaking, and sweating in fear. The sound of leaves rustling sent fear shooting through his trembling frame again. He turned quickly only to find his friend, Usopp, scrambling down from a tree. "W…where…where were you?" Chopper panted, still slightly out of breath.

"Oh, well, you see…" Usopp started quietly but instead of finishing he decided to change the subject quickly. "Uh, anyway, it looks like the stories were true after all. This path is pretty dangerous. Heh, you know that bear looked like he was whispering something in your ear for a while there. So, what did he say?"

Chopper stood up and dusted himself off. He turned his back to the long nosed man to continue on their journey, Usopp followed him in puzzlement, but then Chopper paused to look over his shoulder. "He said to be wary of friends who abandon you at the first sign of danger."

=0=0=

Moral- Misfortune tests the sincerity of friends


	12. The Fox and the Goat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter up, yea!
> 
> For those touchy people, please forgive Nami in advance for being sorta tricky and not very nice in this chapter.

On a warm sunny morning a young fox made her way through an empty field just outside a rather large village. Except for a few scattered birds and a far off goat herd there wasn't another animal in sight. Her smooth red coat shone in the sunlight and it was slowly getting very hot as the morning wore on.

Nami was just heading back to her den from a long night of hunting and was very tired from it. The vixen paused and stretched lazily at the side of a leaning fencepost. Over in the opposite field she saw the small herd of goats. "Hmm, they usually make a good meal, but maybe another night. It's already too late in the morning to sneak over there. Besides that, those horns are more trouble than they're worth, unless I can pick one of the kids off from their mother." Nami said to herself with a thoughtful frown. She was already formulating a plan for a raid on the small group of farm animals.

"Man, it's getting a lot warmer and faster now that summer is here." Nami muttered to herself as she moved away from the fence post. Spotting a shady tree near the center of the field she padded over to sit underneath it for a while. _'I really need to get back to the den. It's not good for a fox to be seen near a farmer's field in the daytime but after a night like that I'm so tired.' _She couldn't help yawning as if to prove her point. Even though she was worn out Nami grinned to herself as she thought about the good luck she'd had the evening before. "Two chicken raids, not bad for a night's work, if I do say so myself." She grinned. After resting awhile under the tree Nami pulled herself to her feet and continued to make her way past the expanse of fields she needed to cross in order to get back to her own side of the forest.__

__Breathing a sigh of relief, not only for the reason of reaching the edge of the field and the beginning of the thickly wooded area, but also because the thick trees would provide shade from the swiftly heating day. The red furred fox quickened her pace as the beginning of the forest became clearer in her vision. She was almost to the fence line separating the two worlds when disaster struck._ _

__With an ominously sudden creaking and cracking sound the dirt seemed to give way beneath her paws. And without so much as a clue to what was happening, the vixen felt the rush of stale air as she fell through a large hole in the ground._ _

__The end of her fall came quite abruptly when Nami landed with a harsh thump and splash on the bottom of a shallow well. The water from the well wasn't very deep and for this she was thankful._ _

__She'd landed hard on her side since the water wasn't deep enough to actually cushion her fall. As Nami staggered to her four paws, it didn't feel like anything was injured, except maybe her pride. The water came to about the bottom of her stomach when she was upright again._ _

__Looking up at the circle of light above her the vixen then understood what had happened. This well had obviously long been closed up and abandoned. The top had been covered by boards that were now rotten and weakened by age and the weather. Just dilapidated enough to collapse under her slight body weight._ _

__Nami scratched at the loose stones and soft earth of the sides of the well with her sharp claws. "It's a good thing for me this well is almost dried out or else I'd probably drown."_ _

__Again looking up to the entrance of the hole Nami estimated that it was probably a good eight feet above her, far higher than she could jump. She tried anyway, it was either that or die of starvation at the bottom of this stupid well. Her muscles coiled and ready to spring under her sleek fur, legs tucked in tightly, and eyes trained on her goal. Nami let loose with the highest jump she could make._ _

__It ended in distinct failure and the vixen cursed softly._ _

__She glared at the opening of the hole again. "A straight up jump isn't gonna get me outta here. But, maybe, I can climb up." Nami was eyeing the jagged walls of the old stone well, hoping to use that to her advantage somehow.__

____It started off pretty good, Nami was able to find easy to reach, sturdy holds for her paws on the vertical surface of the well. It took a few false starts and it was slow going but she was moving upwards._ _ _ _

____Her extended claws scrabbled over the stones, aching by this point, but she wasn't about to quit when she could feel the breeze blowing past the opened hole of the nearly dried well. Higher up the wall it became more difficult, the soil didn't hold the stones as good near the top, and most of them were kinda loose._ _ _ _

____The tip of the vixen's wet, black, little nose could just barely touch the drooping blades of grass that grew on the edges of the well entrance. Then abruptly it all came crashing down as the fox lost her footing. A stone she had been using came loose from the dirt and crashed to the bottom of the well along with her. Luckily Nami was able to avoid landing on the large rock but she still landed hard._ _ _ _

____With a gasp Nami pulled her head above the water but didn't rise fully to her feet. She was soaked, very tired, and sore. Sitting at the bottom of this hole in the ground with her head barely past the water level, Nami lay panting heavily after her failed escape attempt. She didn't move for almost two full minutes. Her aching claws scraped at the mud and rocks under the water and she muttered curse after curse breathlessly, trying to keep her temper in check, she knew keeping a cool head was important in these situations.____

_____ _

_____ _

___Her muttering was suddenly interrupted by a timid voice from above._ _ _

____"Hey, Fox, what are you doing down there?"_ _ _ _

____Nami looked up sharply only to see a shaggy furred dark brown goat looking back at her from the rim of the hole above. She growled low in her throat and stood out of the water intent on barking back some witty retort. "What does it look like I'm doing, idio-"_ _ _ _

____Her words ground to a halt as she suddenly had a brilliant idea. Nami had an awful, brilliant, idea. A wide sly grin stretched across her muzzle and her golden brown eyes glinted in the rays of sunlight that could make it this far below the dirt. The unassuming goat was still staring down at her in curiosity._ _ _ _

____"You want to know what I'm doing, Goat?" She asked._ _ _ _

____The goat grinned. He must've been stupid or sheltered because he showed no signs of distrust of the cunning red furred animal below him. "You can call me Usopp, and yeah, I want to know why you're down there."_ _ _ _

____The vixen nodded and smiled her best smile. She knew she had the younger creature hooked. "Alright, Usopp it is. To let you know, I'm just enjoying this beautifully cool water at the bottom of this well. It was so hot up there that I decided a refreshing dip in this divine liquid was just the thing to cool me off." Nami made a show of dipping her head under the water and letting it fall over her ears and back as she resurfaced and convincing the poor animal of every word she said._ _ _ _

____She let out a content sigh as she looked back up at Usopp. "I know it's still very hot up there now, Usopp. With all that bristly hair it must be scorching for you. Why don't you join me? There's more than enough room for two down here."_ _ _ _

____Usopp turned his bearded head to look over his shoulder, perhaps to check to see if his heard was nearby, and Nami's heart skipped a beat thinking he might not take her up on the offer. But then, he looked back down at her with a grin, and moved closer to the edge of the well entrance._ _ _ _

____"I can only stay for a quick dip. The shepherd should be coming to round us all up soon." Usopp said to her. Directly before he jumped into the hole and landed, none to gracefully, next to the fox at the bottom._ _ _ _

____Usopp was taller than Nami and so the water didn't quite reach his tummy but his hair was long enough to soak in the cool water. The vixen let the goat take a refreshing drink and dunk his long face into the water as well before pointing out both of their dilemmas._ _ _ _

____"One thing I forgot to mention, Usopp," Nami started to say once he brought his head out of the water. "Is that we're stuck."_ _ _ _

____To the young goat's credit, he didn't panic. Usopp stared blankly at the other animal at the bottom of the well with him. "Stuck?" He asked dumbly._ _ _ _

____Nami nodded, faking shame for forgetting to tell that to him. "Yep, there's no way to climb out, but seeing how tall you are gives me an idea." She said quickly to keep him from panicking and to keep him from figuring out what her real plan was._ _ _ _

____Usopp waited patiently for the fox's great idea to get them outta there. He had just wanted to cool off not stay in here forever._ _ _ _

____"If you stand on your hind legs against the wall and stretch as far as you can towards the rim I can run up your back and reach the top of the hole. Once I'm out I'll help you out afterwards."_ _ _ _

____Usopp readily agreed and soon he was standing on his back legs with his fore-hooves steadying himself against the side of the well. As she said, Nami climbed to the horned head of her fellow prisoner, and with his help was able to scramble over the mouth of the well._ _ _ _

____To Nami the hot sun never felt so good. With a shake, the vixen loosened the remaining water droplets from her fur, and she turned back to the entrance of the well. Cautious paws edged to the drop-off as she looked down at the poor fellow. Still stuck. He was looking back at her and waiting for her promised help._ _ _ _

____"What are you waiting for? Help me outta here already." Usopp pleaded to the sly fox._ _ _ _

____Nami, for her part, looked very unperturbed as she watched the nervous goat pace back and forth in the water. "Ya know," she examined her claws in fake interest, "I thought about it and… I don't feel like it anymore. Thanks for the help anyway." With that the freed vixen turned to go but Usopp's voice called her back again._ _ _ _

____"Hey! We had a deal, Fox! Are you just gonna break your promise?"_ _ _ _

____"Now, the thing about that is," Nami stuck her head back over the side of the well with a grin. "If you had as many brains in that horned head of yours that you have hairs in your beard, you would never have jumped into the well with me in the first place. At least, not without inspecting the way to get out first. You also should have known the consequences of allowing a fox to go before you." She grinned a very foxy, sly, grin and with a flick of her bushy tail Nami had turned away again. She made a point to ignore the insults from the helpless goat and finally made it safely into the shelter of the forest._ _ _ _

____Her den was calling to her and she couldn't wait to collapse within its safe walls once more. This had definitely been a tiring morning._ _ _ _

____=0=0=_ _ _ _

____Moral- Look before you leap_ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Usopp made so much noise in the well the farmer heard him later in the day and saved the annoying goat))


	13. The Dog and the Bone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter.
> 
> This has been fun, adapting these stories into One Piece format, but it has come to an end.
> 
> Hope all you guys have enjoyed reading.
> 
> =  
> "Regular Speaking"  
>  _'Luffy Speaking'_  
>  =

Birds chirped cheerily as morning broke over the small village. The quiet town was slowly waking up and the villagers were beginning their day. The bakers were baking. The farmers were farming. And the school kids were… playing hooky? Wait that's not right.

Two young kids, who were supposed to be in school, lounged around their back alley lot. It wasn't actually theirs but no one bothered to chase them off. One was a green haired boy who had settled himself against the back fence and had a piece of straw stuck between his teeth. The second one was a thin orange haired girl. She was sitting on a box under an old, gnarled, tree and just leaning back in boredom under its shade. The bag holding her unused school books was resting at the box's side.

"So, Zoro, what do ya wanna do?" The orange haired girl asked after several minutes of peaceful silence.

"Nm, I don't care." The boy mumbled, his arms crossing in front of his chest. He looked like he had already decided to nap the day away. "If you're that bored, Nami, why don't you see if you can convince Usopp or Vivi to skip too?"

"You never care." Nami frowned in a slight pout. "And you know as good as I do that Usopp is too chicken to be caught and Vivi wouldn't want to disappoint her dad by playing hooky either."

Zoro yawned. "Well, that's a real problem, isn't it?" He asked, not sounding at all like he could care about it any less.

Nami groaned at her older friend's lack of enthusiasm.

Suddenly from some old boxes and things, set up in a make-shift shelter, came tumbling a little, solid black, dog. His fur was short but ruffed up and his ears flopped around his big dark brown eyes. At seeing two of his friends, his tail went wagging full force. _'Nami! Zoro!'_ The small, hyperactive, dog greeted them with a happy bark. He ran to give Nami a good morning lick.

"Hey, Luffy, you're up late today. I thought you were gone already." Nami greeted the little animal with a growing smile. She reached down to pick up the excited ball of fur and settled him on her lap.

_'I had this great dream last night about a huge mountain of meat.'_ Luffy said excitedly but cocked his head toward Zoro when the young boy huffed loudly.

"I can't believe you're so attached to that scraggly mutt. You even gave him such a dumb name, remind me not to let you name anything else. You should just get rid of him." Zoro raised his brow incredulously.

Luffy watched as Nami stuck out her tongue at her friend and he turned to grin at Zoro next. _'Don't worry, Zoro, I know you don't really mean it. You're my friend too, after all.'_ He knew this because when no one else was around Zoro would often talk to him, just like Nami did.

Nami sent a glare at the green haired boy. "Yeah right, I'd never get rid of Luffy, he's way too cute." Here she lifted the little black dog and gently kissed his equally black nose.

_'Gee, thanks, Nami. But, you could've picked a better word than cute, right? Like brave, or strong, or maybe even daring.'_ Luffy let out a doggy sigh and just had to accept it though as Nami didn't reply to him. A smile spread over his face anyway and he made sure to lick his friend back as she pulled away from his nose, causing her to giggle.

"Thanks for that, Luffy. I know what you're really after though. You can't fool me." Nami set Luffy back down on the ground and grabbed her bag. It was when she opened the bag that a smell suddenly had Luffy's attention.

Luffy's hyperactive nature kicked in at that point and he couldn't contain his excitement. _'Hey wait, I know that smell. I know that smell! It's…it's…STEAK!'_ The little black dog started to twirl in impatient circles. Every so often he would stop and look at Nami as she dug through her schoolbag but then his excitement would get the better of him and he would start circling again. _'Steak. Steak. Steak.'_

Nami laughed at the dog's antics and Zoro, even though he tried to hide it, was grinning also. "Aha! I found it." The orange haired girl said and she pulled out a big steak bone from the confines of her bag. "This is all I could get for you today. Bellemere would've had a fit if she found me sneaking off with any more leftovers."

At the sight of the bone Luffy's eyes widened and his tongue rolled out of his mouth. Nami had the tasty morsel in her hand as she spoke to him but all attention was on the food. _'Nami this is important, listen to the dog, and drop the bone. The hungry dog says drop the bone. Drop. Drro~opp.'_

"Oops, sorry about that, Luffy." Nami apologized when she realized that the little dog was staring hungrily at the food in her hand. She lowered her arm to Luffy's level and the black animal wasted no time in snatching the large bone out of her fingers.

"Oi, Nami, we gotta scram." Zoro suddenly sat up on alert.

"What d'ya mean? Why?" Nami asked, looking from Luffy to Zoro in confusion.

Zoro had scrambled up and hurriedly grabbed his own schoolbag. "Take a look, it's Smokey. If he catches us this time, we're in it big."

Nami frowned and looked around. Over the opposite fence she finally saw the telltale sign of the grumpy, white haired, village officer: a thick trail of smoke from the constant cigar in his mouth. He was totally no nonsense and didn't tolerate kids playing hooky. He had already caught her and Zoro twice this month.

"Geez, that guy needs a life." Nami muttered as she jumped off the wooden box, grabbed her bag, and bent down to give Luffy a quick pat on the head. "See ya, Luffy, we'll be back later."

"Later pooch." Zoro called as he and Nami jumped the back fence and ran for it.

_'Yeah, see ya guys.'_ Luffy called out around a mouthful of delicious bone. Smoker walked by not two minutes later but seeing nothing but a stray dog he went on with his search for his intended targets.

Now alone, Luffy took his time to savor the big steak bone Nami had given him. It had Bellemere's home cooking written all over it. He could tell it was Nami's mom because there was always the tiniest hint of tangerines in the flavor and smell.

A few minutes later Luffy suddenly jumped to his paws. _'Oh, wait, I promised Franky I'd come visit him today. I'd better get over there.'_ Then the little dog looked down to his bone again. _'But, I can't leave my food here. It could be stolen. Hmm, I'll just carry it with me then. Yeah, that way I can eat it later.'_ Happy with his choice, Luffy picked the bone up in his teeth, and started his walk across the village to where his buddy Franky lived.

Franky was a large mongrel of a dog. His looks would be enough to scare off any burglar but aside from that he was pretty harmless. He really had the heart of a pup. He lived with Mayor Iceberg but he loved sneaking out and hangin' with the street dogs. That's why Luffy liked him and was one of the few who would sneak onto the mayor's property to visit him too.

Luffy made his way through the long awakened village. The market was bustling with sellers and shoppers, all kinds of different smells and sounds permeated the air, but Luffy didn't have time to take them all in.

"Hey there, Luffy." One of the older village officers greeted the black dog as he passed by his open door.

_'Sorry, can't stop to talk now, Genzo. Busy.'_ Luffy called out, only slightly impaired by the bone in his mouth.

"Yo, Luffy, that's a nice bone ya got there. You better not have stolen it from me." The heavyset, friendly, butcher man chuckled from outside his shop. He had been setting up a sale sign when he saw Luffy.

The dog let out a bark and almost dropped his bone in the process. _'Like I would steal from you, Zeff. It hurts that you don't trust me, not counting last week, and the week before, and the… okay, I see your point.'_ Luffy readjusted the bone in his mouth and hurriedly walked on just in case Zeff decided he wanted to make sure the bone wasn't his after all.

"Where you off to with that little treat, and in such a hurry, little guy?" A long haired woman asked. Luffy recognized her as Robin, the woman who ran the flower stand. His greeting was muffled behind the bone and he stopped only long enough to let her hand pet over his fur before he was off again. She was a nice woman and if he wasn't on his way to visit Franky he would've stayed a while and maybe gotten some treats.

A few more people greeted the little black dog as he passed through the marketplace, some of the women even petted him, but Luffy didn't stop for long. For one, he was getting hungry again, and his bone was starting to be irresistible in his mouth. He didn't want to eat it in the middle of the village though, it was too distracting. Bellemere's food was always special so he wanted to take his time.

Once he was past the borders of the main part of the village he knew he was almost to the mayor's house. After he crossed over the river it was right down the road. The river was also where he decided to eat the rest of his bone.

It was a good thing when Luffy reached the river because his stomach was growling. There was a small bridge crossing over the water and the little black dog didn't hesitate to trot over. He had to pass on the very edge to avoid a horse and cart and that's when he saw something in the water. Luffy stopped in the middle of the bridge and looked down. His brown eyes widened in astonishment. There was actually another dog staring at him from out of the water. He was a small, black, floppy eared mutt. But, the thing that caught Luffy's attention most was that, the other dog also had a bone in his mouth.

Luffy had seen glances of this dog before, usually in the dress shop or in a window repair shop. _'Oi, you, what are you doing there?'_ He asked the other dog. But after a few moments there wasn't an answer.

_'Hey, you hear me?'_ Luffy asked again. 'What are ya gonna do with that bone?'

Again, there was no answer.

The dog in the water cocked his head in confusion. _'Hm, the silent type, eh?'_ Luffy muttered to himself. He again eyed the other dog's treat and his stomach rumbled loudly.

Now Luffy wasn't one to take another dog's bone, if he didn't deserve to have it taken, but he was so hungry. He wasn't sure the rest of his bone would last him the rest of the day. Luffy carefully watched the little, black, dog in the water. _'Say, uh, you wouldn't mind if I took that bone off your paws, would ya?'_

The animal in the water only looked back silently.

Pouting a bit at the fact this dog was completely ignoring him Luffy decided that he did deserve to have his food taken after all. So pretending to lose interest, Luffy began to turn away, and continue on his original path. Suddenly he spun around and quick as a flash he tried to catch the animal in the water off guard and snap up the other bone.

All he got for his trouble was a splash in the face as his bone, which he had held onto all morning, hit the water and sank below the surface. When Luffy looked back into the rippling river water, the little dog wasn't there anymore. _'So, he grabbed my bone and took off. What a tricky mutt. Just wait till I see him again.'_ Luffy pouted and grumbled but could do nothing at all to get his treat back.

For the rest of the day his hungry stomach reminded him of the price he paid for his greed.

=0=0=

Moral- Great greed will cause great loss


End file.
